What's for dinner?

It's a deceptively simple question, asked millions of times each day. But consider the myriad factors that go into answering it — from cost to convenience to climate change — and it's no wonder we spend so much time thinking about the food we eat.

And that doesn't even account for breakfast, lunch or snacks.

Quite a lot rides on Americans' food choices, including trillions of dollars in spending and our collective risk of developing a slew of chronic diseases. That's why the International Food Information Council conducts an annual survey on food and health.

"It's about understanding the mindset of the consumer," said Kris Sollid, a registered dietitian and senior director of nutrition communications for the industry-funded nonprofit.

Over nearly two decades of IFIC surveys, taste has consistently ranked as the most important factor in food-buying decisions, followed by price, healthfulness, convenience and environmental sustainability.

In the 2024 survey — which was answered by 3,000 Americans in March — about 30% of respondents said an item's sustainability mattered a lot when making purchasing decisions about what to eat and drink.

That may seem low, considering that scientists are already scrambling for ways to feed the nearly 10 billion people expected to live on the planet by 2050 while simultaneously reducing heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions.

But to Sollid, the fact that 30% of those surveyed gave sustainability a score of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale counts as a strong showing.

"Of course I'd like to see that number higher, there's no doubt about that," he said.

...continued

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.